Bring it on, says Davids
Southern Kings coach warns team not to get caught up in off-field hype
CAUTIOUS Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids is adamant his team will not be drawn into the off-field hype surrounding their eagerly awaited Super Rugby showdown against the Sharks tomorrow. More than 20 000 fans are expected at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and Port Elizabeth has been gripped by rugby fever after the Kings scored impressive wins over the Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels in their previous games.
A social media campaign, #FillOurStadium, has fuelled interest in the game.
“Maybe the hype is because we have done so well in the past two games and we lost narrowly to the Sharks in Durban in the first game,” Davids said.
“I think our guys are quite focused on what we want to do and achieve. We have spoken about it. There is quite a lot of excitement in terms of getting better support.
“We were glad we could pull off two wins and we just want to build on that energy and feeling that we got from all the support.”
The coach said one of his team’s goals at the start of the season was to gain more support from Eastern Cape rugby fans.
“We wanted to get more support back into the stadium to play for the metro and the franchise, and this is a step in the right direction in what we have set out to achieve.
“The more support we get the more encouragement there is for the guys.
“We are aware of it [the hype], but we are very focused on what want to do,” Davids said.
The resurgent Kings are facing a tough clash against a star-studded Sharks team who will attempt to use their pack to dominate the home team.
“We know that the Sharks scrum and the guys in the team are quality players, but I believe we have made a step up in terms of our set pieces in our recent games,” Davids said.
“I am quite confident that our guys will be able to compete in the scrums.
“It is a massive challenge, but we have faced some tough competition throughout the tournament and the guys see this as the next challenge against proper opposition.
“We are not going to highlight individuals. Scrumming is all about teamwork and about eight guys doing effective work to ensure that we get go-forward ball.
“As long as we concentrate on that, I believe we will have a solid scrum,” Davids said.
After a season-ending knee injury to loosehead prop Justin Forwood in the Kings’ win over the Rebels, Davids has brought in the experienced Schalk van der Merwe to start in the No 1 jersey.
This is the only change to the Kings’ starting lineup.
On the bench, Chris Heiberg will come in to provide prop cover, while Lubabalo “Giant” Mtyanda will be in line to make his Southern Kings debut from the bench as second row cover.
A final decision on the backup hooker will be made today after the captain’s run pending a fitness test for Kurt Haupt, who sustained a minor ankle injury at training on Tuesday.
Should Haupt not pass the fitness test, former SA U20 hooker Tango Balekile will be on standby.
“I think everything’s gone very well this week. The team has recovered well and there has been a lot of energy in the camp and a lot of excitement during our training sessions,” Davids said. Kings team: Masixole Banda, Wandile Mjekevu, Berton Klaasen, Luzuko Vulindlu, Makazole Mapimpi, Lionel Cronje (capt), Louis Schreuder, Andisa Ntsila, Tyler Paul, Chris Cloete, Wilhelm van der Sluys, Irne Herbst, Ross Geldenhuys, Martin Bezuidenhout, Schalk van der Merwe. Replacements: Kurt Haupt/Tango Balekile, Chris Heiberg, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Lubabalo Mtyanda, Stefan Willemse, Johan Steyn, PieterSteyn de Wet, Stokkies Hanekom
The more support we get the more encouragement there is for the guys